An Advance Directive allows family, friends and healthcare providers to abide by your wishes in the event of a life-threatening illness or injury. It outlines what kind of medical care you would want if you were to become too ill or too injured to express your wishes.

An Advance Directive is a legal document which provides a way for you to communicate your wishes in advance and to avoid confusion later on. It tells how you feel about care intended to sustain life, allowing you to accept or refuse medical care.
The many issues an Advance Directive can address include:

The use of dialysis and breathing machines;

Whether to be resuscitated if breathing or heartbeat stops;

Tube feeding;

Organ or tissue donation.

The Georgia Advance Directive for Health Care allows you to name a healthcare agent. Your agent is someone you trust to make health decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so. Advance Directives help to eliminate burdening family members and healthcare providers with having to make difficult healthcare decisions should you become incapacitated.

Beginning July 1, 2007, Georgia implemented a new form for Advance Directives which combines the "Living Will" and Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare into one form. Living Wills and Advance Directives signed before July 1, 2007 are still legal. However, any Advance Directives signed after July 1, 2007 are subject to the new law.

You can create an Advanced Directive by printing and filling out the form available at the link below. You may also wish to consult an attorney to ensure that your Advance Directive fully complies with the law.

Click here to access a printable copy of the Georgia Advance Directive Form (docx format). Click here to access a printable copy of the Georgia Advance Directive Form (PDF format).